Megan's Pov:
One weekend, kids on the block hung out at the park where they play and just let out energy before curfew hits and it's time to go back home. Deon, Shawn, Trey, and me have gone to the park to do the same. We met up with some of our friends from school or just the neighborhood. We played games all together which made it more fun. Over 20 people playing tag, freeze tag or greenlight.
At the moment, we playing hide and go seek. I've hid with some of my friends, who aren't my friends, but who I spend a lot of time with. We hide together discussing some plans to get away from the seeker: Shawn and some other girl.
"I dare you to." Tony says
"I don't know. He'll be mad." I say not really liking the idea. It's just mean.
"Aw, c'mon. Just do it." Candice chimes in.
"This is why you don't have a lot of friends." Randy adds in.
"Yeah, you're always hanging out with that loser." Tony agrees.
"He's not a loser." I defend his name.
"And defending him too." Candice taunts.
"Yeah, it's so annoying." Randy gives me a face.
"Y'all pick on him for no reason. He actually a cool kid."
"But he white. He gon grow up to be like the rest of them."
"No he won't. He be around us more than his own family. I mean he even kiss Cherish for that one dare. Y'all were there."
"Well, if you want to keep hanging around us, then do the dare."
"That's not fair."
"Well its his fault we all you got. He gon find us eventually. When he comes over just dump it on his head so we can get away."
"He won't be mad at you anyway."
"Yeah, and if he keep his cool, we'll know if he a cool dude. If he cry like a baby then you out."
"That ain't much of options for me." I pout grabbing a bucket of paint when Shawn is running around looking for people and trying to tag them.
We're behind a shed where we found an open half empty bucket of blue paint. The initial idea was to use to distract him so we can get away. Taggers are used to people doing what they can to get away, but this is extreme.
"Just do it." Tony says before jumping out from behind the shed.
"Hey, Shawn over here! Na, na, nah, boo, boo. You can't get me." Tony waves his arms around trying to taunt Shawn. I can hear this steps and his laughter. I get nervous as I hear his steps get closer. Do I take my chance on making Shawn mad at me or lose friends I've been around since kinder garden?
"I can get you, Tony. You move too slow." Right on cue when he turns the corner of the shed, he was too focused on Tony that he ran past me. I ran to keep up with him so as soon as he got from behind the shed, I threw the paint and it landed flat on his head and clothes. Mostly covering the back of him.
There's a moment of silence of shock, realization, and just acceptance.
"MG?" Shawn stops and looks over at himself.
"What you do that for?" Deon comes over and pushes me on the arm.
"It was just a joke to buy some time." I try to laugh it off. Everyone else is shocked and giggling at Shawn who is covered in blue paint. It drips down from his hair to his face and down his clothes and shoes.
"Wow, you actually did it." Candice says running back over to us with a taunting smile.
"Shawn, you is one cool dude. My bad for thinkin you was lame." Tony laughs approaching Shawn and laying on his shoulder. A laugh let loose from his lips and mixes with Tony's. His laugh made everyone else laugh harder. But I know, he doesn't find this funny at all. He's pissed. His hands are balled up, and his tongue is rolled up against the front of his lip. He's upset at me.
"Yeah? Was this what is took?" Our eyes meet momentarily, and I look away first....ashamed.
"Nah, but this was funny. We can hang out again some other time. I'm sure you want to clean up." A weak laugh escapes Shawn's mouth as he looks at his hands then rubs it on his clothes. I guess paint got in his eyes when he rubs on it.
"Yeah, I would. C'mon, D." Deon pats my shoulder before going over to help Shawn. I follow not too far behind them. Everyone else continued playing while we were leaving. Not having a care in the world is he was okay or not. When we got some ways from the park, I speak up.
"I'm sorry." Ignored.
"Shawn, did you hear me? I said I'm sorry." I jog to catch up to them. Deon looks at me before looking at Shawn who just looks up ahead, ignoring me.
"I shouldn't have done that. I wanted to be funny but-"
"Be quiet." He sighs out. "Your voice is annoying me." I receive a glare before he continues. "Did you think this was funny?"
"No, but-"
"So why did you do it?"
"It was-"
"Don't tell me it was a joke cause I know you wouldn't have thought to do this. You looked guilty as soon as you did it."
"I'm sorry." I look at the ground.
"You said that already."
He shrugs Deon off of him and walks on his own now. There's a good of enough distance between us when Deon pats my back.
"I know you want people to hang around, but I hope you know that this won't be solved no time soon." I sigh out.
"I know."
"Just give him time. He's goin through a lot and this hurt 'im a bit."
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1 week after being Smurfed:
"Get out." I fight against Shawn who is trying to push the door shut, and me pushing it open. If he was to win, then I'd lose a few fingers and toes.
"It's been a week now. Why are you still mad at me? I said sorry, I bought you snacks, I even got Ferni's number for you. What will it take?"
"Really, nothing. I just don't want anything to do with you. Now, get out." He pushed me out the room and slam his door shut.
"That isn't even your room." I kick the door and cross my arms. "So, you want to stop being friends with me over this?"
"You picked who your friends were." He yells from the other side of the door. "Now leave me alone, you chalk board." The mean name makes me look down at my flat chest.
"You did worst things and I forgave you."
"Go to hell."
"You jerk." I kick the door again.
"I rather be that than hopper."
"Damn." Deon says wincing.
"Could you talk to him?"
"I have several times. There's nothing I can do so let him be. At least he respondin back to you."
"But he's being so mean."
"I mean, you heard the jokes everyone made about him after you did what you did."
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2 weeks after being Smurfed:
"Get out of the way." I'm pushed to the side only a nano second after I stepped outside. I keep quiet and just watch idly as Shawn and Deon walk out the house.
"You okay?" Trey steps out next and asks me. I give him a small smile.
"Yeah, I'm good. Just wondering how long this is goin to go."
"Only he knows." Trey shrugs his shoulders and follows behind calmly. He was always the peacemaker. I wish he was there when I did that. He always knew what to say to derange a situation.
"You comin or not?"
"Nah, yall go ahead. I-uh- I got some homework I need to finish."
"What? But you-"
"Let her be. She could use all the extra knowledge on how not to fuck up." Shawn looks bored over at me with his arms crossed.
"Dude, chill out." Deon corrects him just to receive a shoulder shrug.
I don't say anything, but just go back in the house.
"You stayed?" Nana asked me shocked to see me still here.
"Yes, I can feel that I'm not wanted."
"You know this could be solved so quick if you just stopped bein friends with those knuckleheads." Nana says taking a seat in her chair.
"You think that's it?" I ask sitting on the arm rest of it.
"Move yo ass to a seat." I do what I'm told. "But I think that's what the issue is. You be friends with someone who's against your other friend. That's weird."
"I wish it was that easy. I know they can be so mean, but they're everywhere. They've always been around me and no else does."
"I get it, baby. But they ain't good for ya. Once you let someone go, then it'll be easier to do again. Trust me on that one."
"What if it doesn't do anything?"
"Don't do it for him but yoself. They hurt your friend, and used you to do it. You okay with bein friends with people like them? You think it's worth it? Shawn knows everyone's not gonna like him, you gotta accept that that's the case for you too." Nana pats my leg before getting up and going into the kitchen.
"There is no rush to cutting people, but you'll know when you tired of they bullshit."
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1 month after being Smurfed:
"So, yall ain't friends anymore?" Deon asks me for the 30th time.
"How many times you want to me to tell you, D? No, I haven't talked to them."
"Why ain't you tell us before we went out last night?"
"I didn't think it was necessary." I shrug and walk away. "Why'd yall hang out anyway? I thought yall aint like them."
"We don't but it went by the majority rule. But do you know the things they say about you? I wish you could have heard it. I can't believe you were friends with them."
"It's weird what people do for friends, isn't it?" I say to myself more than to him. "They had always talked about me. Always. I'm not surprised. I don't care that much anymore."
"You just gon let them go like that? Megan, you need to toughen up more."
"What can I do, D?" I walk out Uncle Marcus room and run in to Shawn. I'm still taller than him by inches for now. He's had growth spurges and break outs on his face. Puberty is having her fun with him.
"Damn, felt like I ran into a wall." He scoffs before walking to the room, gently shoving me out of the door way, and closing the door behind him.
"Stop with the flat jokes, Tiny."
"Ouhhhh." I hear from the other side of the door.
The door swings open and a red faced Shawn sticks his head out the door.
"What was that?"
"You heard me, Little bit." I walk away from him, and hear the door slam shut making me jump. He lucky Nana outside.
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3 months after being Smurfed:
"Yeah, y'all betta run." I cry wiping the tears falling down my cheek. My jaw and cheeks burn in pain, and my eye feels jumpy.
"Fuck you, Megan." Tony shouts from down the road where he and Candice stand facing back towards me.
"Yeah." I rub the tears off my face with the sleeve of my hoodie. I let myself cry for a few minutes before pulling myself together and fixing my face.
All I had plan today was to meet Tony and Candice at the park cause they wanted to talk. I knew better so I came prepared with some stuff and dressed accordingly.
It started out as a talk then they started talking bad about Shawn. They accused him of so much stuff that he's never seen cause he with Nana most of his days. So I called them out of what their real issue is with them.
"You scary-cats!" I shout out to no one in particular. They're afraid of him as in what he could do and get away with it. They hate me for hanging out with him when I should be as scared as them. They hate that I'm not scared. They got to me cause I let them; Deon didn't.
When our argument got heated, Candice pushed me and everything went on from there. Pushing and shoving with me in the middle turned into me swinging at the next person who's turn it was to push me.
After my fist connected with Candice face, Tony swung at me hitting me across the cheek. He was never scared of putting his hands on a girl, and neither is his daddy.
I took his punch like it was pillow thrown at me and tackled him to the ground and threw as many punches I could to his face, chest, and stomach while Candice tried to pull me off of him by pulling my hair. She also threw in some slaps to my face.
Finally after trying so hard, Candice had managed to get me off Tony and helped him up off the ground. I got up as quick as Tony did and waited for them to make the next move.
It never came.
Tony ran away leaving Candice with me. Accepting her defeat she bent down and picked up 2 rick and threw them at me hitting me in the jaw and eyes with them. I kicked her hard in her leg, and watched her limp run to catch up with Tony.
I'm not weak.
I know I let people talk to me and do me wrong, but it always seems like the people who are around me most who does that. I can never find any real friends. Shawn has Deon, Deon has Shawn and Trey. I have them when the other isn't there. It's just me.
"Hey, are you okay?" A girl runs over to me from across the street.
"Yeah, I'm good." I sniff wiping my nose.
"Estas Megan, right?" I look down at her to actually look at her face. I have seen her before in my classes.
"Yeah, Monica?"
"Si."
I sat down on the ground and Monica told me everything she saw. I was kinda upset that she didn't help me, but then remembered this girl don't owe me nothing. Really don't.
We talked and I vented about everything that was going on. From Shawn being covered in paint to which she told me she was there when it happened. It was nice to sit down and talk with a girl. It felt really nice. There were so many times girls wanted to be friends cause they wanted to hang with Deon not me. Not every girl, of course, I had friends who were girls but not so close with that I talked to them every day.
We talked about her family and our class we had together until someone came looking for her and told it was time to go.
"Here, you'll need these." She pulled out a pair of sunglasses and slide them on my face.
"There, I'll see you later, MG." She winks at me before leaving with a dude, who I guess is her brother.
"Bye, Monica." I wave at her with a smile on my face. I hope there will be another girl in the group cause there's too many boys, and I don't want to hear about body parts all the time.
The walk to Nana's was slow. I wasn't in no rush for her to see these cuts and prints on my face. Especially after, she's upset that Shawn and me were still bickering. It's not my fault, and I no longer try to get his attention. I'm drained.
A gust of wind makes me shiver so I throw my hoodie over my head. It gives the delusion that maybe I could get away with these cuts and bruises. If not I can just say I fell off the monkey bars.
When I get in front of the house, a sigh escapes my lips and I prepare for what's to come. My steps to the porch felt heavy. Inhale, exhale and pushed the door open. It was unlocked as I left it when I went to the park.
As soon as I close the door behind me I hear bickering going on in the kitchen.
"Y'all too old for this. If you don't want to be her friend anymore, fine but don't be rude. She apologized that was enough, them slick comments end with this argument. Now get out my face." I hear lips smack. "You got meat in yo teeth?"
"No." Shawn mumbles before going into Marcus room and closing the door behind himself. Nana walk out not too far behind him and sees me standing at the door.
"Matta fact." Nana walks over to me and takes ahold of my hand. We walk over to Uncle Marcus room and she opens the door.
"Nana?" I hear Shawn ask.
"Gon in there." Nana guides me into the room. "And don't come out until yall solved ya issues." She closes the door leaving me and Shawn in here by ourselves. I stand at the door not wanting to be here. Though, I rather this than Nana questioning me about why I have these shades on.
"I don't hear no talkin." We hear Nana on the other side of the door.
"I'll start. We ain't got to be friends again, but cut the flat jokes." I stand my ground. I've been on a roll with doing that today and I'm not going to let my ex best friend end it.
"Fine." He says grabbing a book and flipping it's pages.
"That's all you got to say?" I ask annoyed with him. Yes, I did something bad, but he's done worst. I forgave him and never insulted him.
"What else you want?" He sasses at me.
"A sorry." I say like it was the most obvious thing.
"You don't deserve one."
"Uh, yes I do. You been a complete bitch to me after what happened. You've done horrible things and I never insulted you." I say walking up to him completely upset.
"Okay, I'm sorry for all the insults, jokes, and comments I made about you. You happy?" He doesn't even mean it. I look down at the floor trying to catch my sanity. My patience has been tested for awhile now. It's been stretched long enough.
"I hate you."
"Oh, really? Tell me more." Shawn jokes looking at me with a boyish grin then it drops from his face immediately when he saw me.
"What happened?" He throws the book on the bed and holds my face in his hands. Not falling for this I push his hands away. No matter how much I like him, he made me mad and I won't give in for this temporary bliss.
"Nothing."
"Nothing? There's a cut on your jaw, and it's bleeding. Nana must've been so upset if she didn't see that." He reaches for my face again but I move away again.
"Just leave me alone. I can patch it up." I retort.
"Yeah, right." He reaches out fast for my shoulder and pushes me to sit on the bed. he's definitely had another growth spurge and is the same height as me.
"Who did this to you?" He asks me taking my glasses off and observing my eye.
"Why do you care?" I scoff out then wince he touches my cheek.
"Cause I, unfortunately, care too much." He says walking away and going into Marcus closet. He takes out a kit and opens it up.
"Find that hard to believe." I say in a low whisper. Shawn walks back over to the bed and lays the kit on it. First he puts the disinfectant on my skin, then blows it when it stung.
"You know, I wasn't mad at the paint being dumped on my head, but at the fact that you did it cause those losers told you to do it. It felt like you picked them over me."
"I don't have it in me to say sorry anymore. I'm drained and been dealin with-"
"So they did this to you?" Shawn asks with a serious look in his eye.
"I mean-"
"This is what I'm talking about."
"Yeah, I know." I say in defeat. "Look, I can do it." I try to reach for the ointment he had in his hands but he twists his arms so I couldn't get it.
"Just let me do this." His look alone stops me from reaching and just let him take care of me. "It's the least I could do since I've been a dick to you."
"Yeah, you have been."
"I wish you would've asked for help."
"I didn't have anyone to go to." I wince at the q-tip that's rubbing on my jaw.
"Sorry." He blows at it even though it doesn't burn. All I can do is just watch him in awe. He can be so sweet and gentle. I missed this and him. Deon and Trey too.
"I'm also sorry we left you out all the time. I really had to think how you could become friends with such jerks when you were around us. Then it hit me that weren't always around us." Shawn takes a band-aid out the box and peels it.
"Yeah, especially at school since you don't go to mine, and Deon and Trey are in different classes. I just hang with who I know and who let me stay." I wince when it touches the cut on my jaw.
"So we besties again?" He asks me laying the band-aid flat on my jaw.
"It took for me to get beat up for you to forgive me?" I ask raising an eyebrow at him.
"I forgave you a long time ago." I rolled my eyes.
"So you just been ignoring me?"
"I purposely made sure to make flat jokes so you couldn't claim that I ignored you. I knew we were going to make up one day. I just wasn't to hang with you if they made you do stuff to me."
"I don't know about us being besties again after you said that." I shake my head in disbelief.
"Maybe, maybe not. But I'm willing to work for it." I keep quiet as he puts a little ointment on my eye where there was a small cut by my eyebrow, and then a band-aid.
"You gon be working hard." I'm letting him know now.
"I knew that already." He smiles at me. "I'm almost taller than you." He points out teasingly. I roll my eyes again feeling my ego take a shot. Being the tallest one came with jokes you shot at people shorter that you. Now, I'll be the one on the shorter end.
"Whatever." I scoff.
"So was it Tony, and Randy....." He waves his hand waiting for me to respond.
"Tony and Candice."
"Go it. You're all patched up." I give my Dr a smile in thanks. "One last thing." I wait for what he has to do or say. He sighs out with a hint of annoyance. "Close your eyes." I do what I'm told and close them. Then I felt it.
He placed a kiss on top of my patched up jaw and then my eye.
"Nana says-" I open my eyes to see a light blush on cheeks and he can't even look at me "kisses can make it better. Mine aren't as magical as hers but I learned a thing or two from her." He finally looks at me.
"Thank you." I smile at him and he returns it.
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3 months and 1 day after being Smurfed:
"Hey, what happened to Tony's leg?" I ask Deon who just watches the boy on crutches hop away with a laugh.
"I don't know. Shawn?"
"Maybe he got beat with a bat?" He shrugs his shoulders before taking my backpack from me and putting it in his bike basket.
"Why a bat out of everything you could have picked?" I ask sitting on the metal piece at the end of his bike.
"Don't know. It was the first thing there-" I raise my eyebrow. "First thing I thought to say."
"Okay, just get me to Nana's so I can eat my ice cream." I wrap my arms around his waist for balance as he rides us up the sidewalk to Nana's and Deon beside us jogging, panting out of breath.
(A/N: Thank you and goodnight. Please comment as they can be encouraging to writers. Thanks.)